Readers Forum

I am very thankful that our county commissioners seek the help of God through Jesus Christ in prayer in making their decisions.

We are very blessed to have people of this quality serving us, and IÂ urge all Christians in Lincoln County to fully support them in this endeavor!

Steve T. Houser,

Vale

Leon Harmon has left the building

Leon Harmon was the mascot of the Lincolnton High School graduating class of 1955.Â He graduated from Lincolnton High School and later UNC Charlotte.Â Leon completed 38 years as an employee of Lincoln County, beginning his career as Assistant to County Manager Fred Houser.Â Leon was appointed Vice President of Finance in 1989 and ended his tenure in this position. Leon was the guardian, protector and manager of all county funds, supervising how they were spent and invested with the wisdom of an owl along with the eye of an eagle; the money manager he was.

Leon oversaw the payroll of Lincoln County, one of our largest employers with 740 fulltime employees.Â He managed to preserve Lincoln Countyâ€™s excellent credit with an impressive AA bond rating, the very best for small counties, which places Lincoln County in the top one-third of all North Carolina counties.Â (The only counties capable of obtaining a triple AAA bond rating are the very large metropolitan areas.)

Leon has been a runner for 30 years, running five miles five days a week and on occasion will run a longer distance.Â Â He has participated and completed around 150 marathon races (26 miles) including several ultra runs (50 miles).Â Â When asked why he runs, the reply was:Â “for my health, gets the mind off work and I enjoy the sights.”

I met Leon in the early nineties while on a bank business call.Â I was located out of town but Leon accepted me as a local.Â He is the same today as then, always calm, quiet, reserved, pleasant, a very easy individual to meet.Â The interviewer always had Leonâ€™s full and undivided attention during a discussion.Â I learned that a person could take his word to the bank.Â He is “straight as an arrow” or as some may say, “straight as six oâ€™clock”, a professional and southern gentleman.Â He was well versed in the countyâ€™s financial business.

Leon Harmon will be missed by Lincoln County, the employees, and those of us who dealt with him in the past.Â Thank you, thank you and thank you for the longevity, the consistency, the dedication, and for being a friend.

May our paths continue to cross.

Don Ballard,

Lincolnton

Forcing groups to fund abortions is wrong

As we are now hearing extensively in the news, is the debate over forcing religious hospitals, clinics and Christian personnel to use all FDA (Federal Drug Admin.) approved methods of birth control.

These contraceptive methods include, the pill, sterilization procedures, abortion & partial birth abortion along with the morning after pill, where, an underage teen can with one parents approval, or if not, she can go to a judge for the decision, without parents input.

The same procedures offered at Planned Parenthood and other such groups.

The debate to us all is â€” should the government be able to force all citizens in these positions, regardless of their religious beliefs to participate and preform procedures in direct opposition to ones Christian reasoning and the organizationsâ€™ values?

I for one do not believe the government has such a right. We all know governments the world over who try and have such control over their peopleâ€™s lives. It will not stop with undermining our religious beliefs.

Now is the time to stand up and protest such un-Constitutional enforcement. Call and voice you belief to your representatives.